Enrollments at BA and MA degree levels continue to increase and have reached the 225,000 mark for the first time.

The most significant growth in enrollments was for the Masters of Accountancy degree with more than a 30% increase since the last survey in 2009.

Seventy percent of universities stated they have included some IFRS curriculum in their current coursework and the remaining 30% projected to have it implemented by 2013.

Key Findings: Graduates

Combined BA and MA graduates are up 3.3% from the 2009 survey data, setting an all-time high since this survey began in 1971.

BA degrees showed a 4.2% increase for a total of 51,036 graduates while MA degrees showed a more modest 0.6% increase to 17,603 graduates.

At 86%, the Masters of Accountancy continues to dominate all other accountancy master’s degrees awarded. This is a 1% increase over the 2009 survey percentage, which has a direct correlation to the 1% decrease in Masters in Taxation degrees granted.

Key Findings: Hiring

Hiring across all segments has increased from the 2009 edition of the survey. The demand for accounting graduates has rebounded significantly from the economic downturn in recent years. Hiring of BAs and MAs increased from 25,488 to 33,321; the second highest point since the survey began in 1971.

There was a 6% increase in the Masters of Accountancy hires since the last survey. This correlates with the 6% decrease in the Masters of Taxation hires since 2009.

There has been a significant increase in MA graduates hired from 26% in the last survey to 37% in the current survey, and a decrease in BA graduates hired from 56% to 43%. The remaining 20% of new hires are not accounting majors.

Hiring by ethnicity has seen an improvement in both the Hispanic population and total minority hiring overall. Hispanic hiring rose from 4% to 7% of total hires, while the total minority hiring increased from 22% to 25%.

Nearly 90% of all firms forecast the same or more hiring of new accounting graduates during 2011. Seventy-one percent of the largest firms anticipate an increase in hiring this year compared to the previous year, a good indicator of rebounding economic times.

Publicly Reported

Glassdoor.com is a career and workplace community where anyone can find and anonymously share salary details about specific jobs for specific employers or company and interview reviews describing life on the inside of an employer — all for free. What sets it apart is that all the information comes from the people who know these companies best — either the employees who work there or the candidates who have interviewed there.

Bureau of Labor Statistics

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released a report in 2008 that looks at the job market for accountants and auditors through 2018. They project a growth rate of 22% during this time frame. You can view the full report that contains information on salaries too.